Varutharacha Sambar Recipe - Ingredients
Preparation Time : 20 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Serves : 2
Recipe Category: Sidedish | Recipe Cuisine: Kerala
Recipe Category: Sidedish | Recipe Cuisine: Kerala
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Vegetables - 3/4 cup chopped(I used drumstick,ashgourd, ladies finger,carrot)
Tamarind - a small lemon sized ball
Small Onion - 10
Tomato - 1 small chopped roughly
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Coriander leaves - 2 tsp finely chopped
Water - as required
Salt - to taste
To roast and grind:
Fresh Grated coconut - 1/3 cupChana Dal - 1.5 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Red Chillies - 2
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - a small sprig
Small Onion - 4 small
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
To temper:
Coconut oil - 2 tspMustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilli - 2
Curry Leaves - a small sprig
Hing - a tiny pinch
Method:
- Dry roast urad dal,channa dal and fenugreek seeds till golden brown,Set aside.Then add coriander seeds,small onion and red chillies till golden brown,set aside.Then fry roast coconut till nicely browned.
- Finally add curry leaves along with hing(I used solid hing) and transfer all the roasted ingredients to a mixer and grind it to a fine paste.Set aside
- Soak tamarind in hot water and Extract thick tamarind pulp and keep it ready.Now chop all uour veggies.In a pan add oil and saute onion,tomato,ladies finger and ashgourd,Set aside.
- Pressure cook dal with 1 and 1/2 cups of water,salt and tumeric powder for 2 whistles, then add carrot and dumstick and pressure cook for 1 more whistle in medium flame.Once pressure releases add the sauted veggies.
- Add the coconut paste,tamarind pulp and let sambar cook in low flame.Add water if the consistency is too thick.Check if ashgourd and ladies finger is cooked.Check and adjust salt.Let it simmer for 5-7mins.
- Meanwhile temper the items listed under 'to temper' and add it to sambar,Garnish with coriander leaves and switch off.
My Notes:
- After the masala paste is added the sambar tends to thicken so adjust by adding water.
- You can even add vegetables like brinjal and potato.But generally adding drumstick and carrot enhances the flavour of the sambar.
- As drumstick and carrot takes time to cook than other veggies, I pressure cooked for 1 whistle.And just sauted and added ashgourd, ladies finger and added it as such as it cooks faster.Cook vegetables according to the tenderness of the veggie.
- Adding mixed vegetables gives a great taste to the sambar.
- The sambar is slightly thick than our usual sambar.
- Drizzle ghee at the end for extra flavour.
